U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has announced several important changes to how they will administer the naturalization (citizenship) process.
All applicants who file their citizenship applications after October 18, 2025, will now be required to correctly answer 12 out of 20 U.S. history and civics questions (from a list of 128) instead of 6 out of 10.
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USCIS will be reviving the 2020 version of the US history and civics test. (More information about the revived test is available here: https://www.uscis.gov/citizenship-resource-center/naturalization-test-and-study-resources/2025-civics-test)
USCIS has also announced that naturalization applicants will be required to demonstrate positive actions or contributions in order to prove they have “good moral character.” Previously, good moral character was determined based on whether an applicant had some disqualifying acts (such as criminal history). Now, USCIS has stated it will look at activities or attributes such as “community involvement,” “family caregiving, responsibility, and ties,” “stable and lawful employment history and achievements” “compliance with tax obligations and financial responsibility” or “educational attainment,” as just some examples. There is not enough information available on how USCIS will be assessing these factors in the future.
More information about these changes is available here:
https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-alerts/08.15.2025-Restoring_a_Good_Moral_Character_Evaluation_Standard_for_Aliens_Applying_for_Naturalization-Policy_Memorandum_FINAL.pdf
These community alerts are provided courtesy of Catholic Charities Maine’s Immigration Legal Services. For additional information, please refer to the USCIS links cited.
